Reverse Push Start

Did you know you can push start a car in reverse?

This morning, I was reading an article about how to jump start a car (mentions the classic push start at the end). It brought back fond memories of the day I was stuck at the top of Pearl st (a bit of a hill at the end there) and for the first time ever push started a car. With the transmission in reverse, and my foot on the clutch, I just let it roll down the hill into oncoming traffic (there was a cop stopping said traffic a little ways out). As the car picked up speed, I let the clutch go.

The trick, it turns out, is to STOP the car once you’ve started it. Funny that, once you get the engine engaged and turning, it starts providing its own energy. After a brief moment of surprise, I brought the car to a stop, put it in first and was off to a mechanic.

Anyway. A random story.
Chris

If you don’t believe me, the interweb can confirm